Henrietta Byerly Rothwell

Henrietta “Sissy” Rothwell passed away on July 3, 2024. She was born on August 17, 1932 in Washington, DC to Marian and John Byerly. She grew up in Washington, DC and Frederick, MD. The Frederick Visitation nuns across the street from her home shaped her childhood after her mother passed away. Sissy married the love of her life Gideon “Frank” Franklin Rothwell IV on September 11, 1954 after knowing him a few short months. They built a loving home in Chevy Chase, MD and raised their three children, between DC, the farm in Culpepper, VA, and Dewey Beach, DE.

Sissy was a devout Catholic and was actively involved in the Bethesda parishes of Little Flower and St. Bartholomew’s, and later St. Williams Parish in Naples, FL. Her joyful faith was apparent in her interactions with others and her volunteer work with Washington Home Hospice. Sissy and Frank were never in one place for long, always off traveling the world for both business and pleasure, instilling a love of travel and learning in their children and grandchildren.

She is predeceased by her husband Frank, her siblings Barbara Riley, Sally Aitken, and Jack Byerly, and her son-in- law Patrick Vargas. She is survived by her children Frank (Anita) of Bethesda, MD, Duncan (Marje) of Durango, CO, and Anne of Severn, MD, her grandchildren Caitlin, Pancho, Danika, and Eliana, her great granddaughter Charlotte, and many nieces and nephews.

The Rothwell matriarch leaves behind a strong legacy of love and faith, and will live on through all the lives she touched. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sissy’s memory can be made to two of the places she loved dearly: the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington, DC or the Naples Botanical Gardens in Naples, FL.

A funeral mass will be held at 10am on Saturday September 21, 2024 at Saint Bartholomew’s Catholic Church on River Road in Bethesda, MD with the burial to follow at Saint John’s Cemetery in Frederick, MD.